The last three contracts

Having long ago suspended any temptation to compare baseball salaries to the real world, I think these salaries sound reasonable. The A’s willingness to pay them in a year when they aren’t going for a pennant shows they are not in a Florida Marlins fire-sale situation.

Chad Gaudin is the only A’s player who will go to arbitration, with the club reportedly offering $1.5 million and the pitcher asking $2.05 million. Would bet on the A’s winning this one. Chad, didn’t you ever work in retail? You could have kept your demand to the bargain price of $1,988,888.